From  Beach  to  Jungle 

ooooooooo 

A  Narrative  of  the  West  Africa  Mission 


From  Beach  to  Jungle 


A  Narrative  of  the  West  Africa  Mission 


Compiled  by  Margaret  Boyle 


Price,  Ten  Cents 


The  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
501  Witherspoon  Building,  Philadelphia. 


From  Beach  to  Jungle 


A  Narrative  of  the  West  Africa  Mission 


FOUNDATIONS. 

“Tell  the  Church  at  home  that  the  Lord  is  doing  glorious 
things  in  Africa.”  This  is  the  message  that  comes  to  us  from 
a  land  devastated  by  war.  It  epitomizes  the  devotion  of  the 
Presbyterian  missionaries  of  the  West  Africa  Alission.  ( )n 
the  island  of  Corisco,  on  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  in  the  jungles 
and  forests  of  the  interior,  has  been  enacted  the  story  of  a 
brave  band,  struggling  against  fearful  odds,  even  to  threat¬ 
ened  annihilation  in  the  hour  of  triumph. 

It  began  about  seventy-five  years  ago,  this  drama  on  the 
A’est  Coast  of  Africa.  The  shore  is  dangerous  with  reefs, 
rocks  and  sand  bars  at  the  mouths  of  the  rivers.  First  comes 
the  narrow  beach,  then  a  jungle,  then  swamps,  and  back  of 
that  two  or  three  hundred  miles  of  forest.  Within  its  depths 
roam  elephants,  monkeys,  many  ’wild  animals — and  black 
men.  These  natives  are  hunting  ivory,  palm  oil,  etc.,  but  they 
live  in  villages  on  the  banks  of  streams,  for  the  only  highways 
are  the  water  courses.  There  are  no  roads,  only  paths 
“through  the  Bush;”  there  is  no  money,  only  barter  of  beads 
and  such  things;  no  written  language  of  the  many  dialects 
The  features  of  the  people  are  typically  Negro,  some  more 
delicately  fashioned  than  others.  They  are  divided  into 
numerous  and  exceedingly  clannish  tribes.  Slavery  as  a 
punishment  existed  here  long  before  it  was  stimulated  by  the 
foreign  market.  Polygamy,  with  its  kindred  vices,  is  pre¬ 
dominant.  They  have  no  worship,  only  a  religion  of  super¬ 
stition,  called  Fetishism,  wdiich  is  a  veritable  bondage. 

Into  these  wilds,  in  the  year  1842,  three  men  and  their 
wives  were  sent  by  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners 

3 


for  Foreign  Missions.  They  settled  at  Baraka  (Libreville), 
thus  founding  the  Gaboon  Mission.  They  started  schools, 
prepared  a  grammar,  and  Dr.  Henry  A.  Ford  wrote  a  mono¬ 
graph  on  African  fevers  which  is  still  a  standard  for  reference. 
The  greatest  difificnlty,  as  in  all  mission  work  in  Africa,  was 
the  climate,  which  made  it  hard  to  keep  a  sufficient  force  on 
the  field.  The  natives  are  less  subject  to  fever  than  the 
foreigners,  but  they  suffer  from  rheumatism,  pneumonia, 
dysentery  and  skin  diseases  of  all  kinds.  Malaria  is  the  dis¬ 
ease  most  fatal  to  white  people,  especially  the  malignant  type 


AN  AFRICAN  TRAIL 


known  as  '^‘black  water  fever.”  Thus  the  frequent  returns 
of  those  disabled  by  illness  and  the  scarcity  of  reinforcements 
left  Gaboon  in  1870  with  only  one  station,  Baraka. 

Meanwhile,  in  1850,  a  distinctly  Presbyterian  Mission  was 
opened  on  the  beautiful  island  of  Corisco.  It  was  thought 
that  the  insular  position  would  assure  exemption  from  fever, 
and  that  the  natives,  when  educated,  would  carry  the  message 
to  distant  regions.  Evangasimba  was  the  place  of  the  first 
station,  and  here  the  name  of  Mackey  left  its  impress  upon 

4 


the  natives.  Four  stations  were  opened  and  schools  begun. 
Later,  the  work  was  consolidated  at  Elongo,  under  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  De  Heer  and  Mrs.  Reutlinger.  But  the  expectations  of 
the  founders  were  not  realized.  The  island  was  as  unhealthy 
as  the  mainland,  and  the  tribal  quarrels  precluded  work  of 
native  agents.  After  twelve  years,  the  Corisco^  work  was 
left  in  the  hands  of  the  first  convert,  Rev.  Ibia  J.  Ikenge,  and 
in  1864  a  new  station  was  opened  on  the  mainland. 

The  place  chosen  was  Mbade  (Benito),  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Benito  River.  Here  Isabella  A.  Nassau  for  several  years 
did  much  of  the  entire  work,  ecclesiastical,  educational  and 
financial.  Here  also  in  later  years  is  the  scene  of  the  won¬ 
derful  record  of  Mrs.  De  Heer  and  Mrs.  Reutlinger,  who 
worked  together  for  more  than  forty  years,  often  having 
entire  oversight  of  the  schools  and  religious  work.  They 
also,  with  Miss  Christensen,  managed  the  dispensary  by 
turns  for  years,  when  no  doctor  could  be  stationed  here. 

In  1871,  the  station  at  Baraka  was  transferred  to  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  and  united  with 
Corisco  and  Benito  under  the  title,  “Gaboon  and  Corisco 
Mission.”  Reinforcements  were  sent  to  Baraka,  and  it  was 
for  some  time  the  central  station  of  the  mission. 

In  1881,  a  station  was  opened  at  Angom,  for  the  Fang 
people,  a  division  of  the  Bantu,  more  energetic  and  indus¬ 
trious  than  the  coast  tribes.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Marling  labored 
here  for  sixteen  years.  After  Dr.  Marling’s  death  in  1896, 
Angom  became  an  out-station  of  Baraka. 

The  most  serious  practical  question  was  that  of  language. 
Benito  was  in  Spanish  territory,  Baraka  and  its  out-stations  in 
French  Congo,  Batanga  in  the  German  Kamerun.  Each  of 
these  governments  discouraged  the  use  of  the  vernacular,  and 
made  its  own  language  compulsory  in  the  schools.  The 
difficulties  in  French  territory  became  so  great  that  in  1892 
the  stations,  except  Baraka,  were  transferred  to  the  Paris 
Evangelical  Mission  Society. 

The  guiding  principle  in  planting  new  stations  had  been 
to  reach  the  interior  by  means  of  the  rivers.  The  Gaboon, 
the  Benito  and  the  Ogowe  had  been  tried  in  vain.  In  1889 
the  main  mission  centre  was  transferred  to  Batanga,  in  Ger¬ 
man  territory,  with  the  purpose  of  gaining  access  from  there 
to  the  higher  and  more  healthful  inland  regions.  A  boys’ 

5 


boarding  school  was  opened  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Godduhn,  and  a 
girls’  school  by  Miss  Nassau. 

After  long  and  careful  exploration,  Dr.  Adolphus  Good* 
established  the  first  inland  station  at  Efulen  in  1893,  at  a 
spot  fifty-seven  miles  from  Batanga.  Here,  he  claimed,  the 
natives  were  so  extremely  and  persistently  wicked  that,  once 
converted,  they  would  be  equally  strong  Christians!  He 
reduced  the  Bulu  language  to  writing,  and  translated  the 
Gospels.  Under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  M.  Henry  Kerr,  native 
workmen  constructed  a  house,  a  school  and  a  dormitory  for 
boys,  with  the  necessary  furniture. 

During  his  last  journey,  in  1895,  Dr.  Good  selected  a 
desirable  site  at  Elat,  seventy-five  miles  east  of  Efulen,  for 
the  second  interior  station.  Later,  the  German  government 
wished  to  buy  the  hill  for  a  military  post,  so  a  new  site  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres,  admirably  located,  was 
secured.  The  boys’  school  was  most  prosperous  from  the 
beginning,  and  a  church  was  organized  in  1903. 

( )n  one  of  Dr.  Good’s  exploring  trips,  he  came  upon  a 
village  of  dwarfs,  and  his  published  account  of  this  visit 
aroused  the  interest  of  Miss  Margaret  McLean  of  Scotland. 
She  offered  to  support  a  mission  among  the  dwarfs  if  the 
Presbyterian  Ifoard  of  Foreign  Missions  would  undertake  it. 
As  a  result,  the  station  of  Lolodorf,  eighty-one  miles  north¬ 
east  of  Batanga,  was  established  in  1897.  The  first  year  was 
spent  in  erecting  buildings,  though  a  school  for  boys  was 
begun  at  once.  The  Sunday  audiences  soon  outgrew  the 
school  room.  Lolodorf  was  a  military  post,  and  a  centre  of 
commercial  enterprise,  therefore  a  unique  opportunity  for 
evangelistic  work  was  afforded  by  the  numbers  of  carriers 
passing  back  and  forth  with  merchandise.  A  “palaver  house” 
was  built  on  the  mission  grounds,  to  welcome  them  at  any 
time,  and  it  l^ecame  one  man's  work  to  preach  to  this  shifting 
audience,  always  glad  to  listen. 

A  VISIT. 

The  year  1904  marks  a  memorable  date  for  the  West 
Africa  Mission,  when  for  the  first  time  it  was  visited  bv  a 
representative  of  the  Board  of  h'oreign  Alissions.  Secretarv 

*  “The  Chief’s  First  White  Alan,”  price  3  cents. 

6 


A.  W.  Halsey  landed  at  Lil^reville  and  spent  many  weeks  in 
visiting  the  different  stations,  preaching  to  large  congrega¬ 
tions  in  the  churches,  traveling  by  steam  launch  through  the 
silent  rivers  to  distant  outposts,  penetrating  the  jungle  on 
foot  with  the  caravans  of  carriers,  camping  with  the  dwarfs 
in  the  shadowy  forest  recesses.  Everywhere  he  was  received 
with  enthusiasm,  and  the  problems  of  each  station  were  laid 
before  him  and  considered  with  wisdom  and  sympathy. 

These  problems  were  neither  few  nor  small.  There  \vere 
the  rivalries  of  the  three  European  governments  in  whose 
possessions  we  were  established;  the  jealousies  among  dif¬ 
ferent  tribes,  each  demanding  the  use  of  its  own  dialect  in 
books  and  teaching;  cpiestions  of  language,  of  industrial  edu¬ 
cation,  of  wages,  of  personal  and  racial  incompatibility. 
Greatest  of  all  was  the  seeming  impossibility  of  keeping  the 
stations  adecpiately  manned,  and  redeeming  the  promises  of 
help  and  advancement  made  to  the  people  in  all  good  faith. 
Many  friends  of  the  Mission  in  America,  discouraged  by  the 
slow  advance,  had  seriously  ciuestioned  whether  the  expendi¬ 
ture  of  life  and  money  for  so  many  years  was  justified  by  the 
results.  It  was  felt  that  a  crisis  had  been  reached  in  the 
klission's  history,  and  that  the  next  ten  years  must  decide 
whether  there  was  any  promise  for  its  future. 

To  the  visitors  from  the  West  it  seemed  wonderful  that 
so  much  had  been  accom])lished  within  the  memory  of  living- 
men  in  the  transition  fr(-)m  ])rimitive  barbarism  to  the  begin- 
niim's  (ff  Christian  civilization.  In  the  older  stations  thev 

O  - 

found  the  second  and  th.ird  generations  of  Christians,  trained 
from  infancy  in  Christian  schools.  worshi])ping  in  decent 
churches,  l)uilt  and  supported  by  themselves.  I'hey  found 
Sundav  schools  filled  with  children  and  adults,  all  well 
grounded  in  the  fundamentals  of  Scripture  knowledge,  and 
trained  men  serving  as  preachers  and  evangelists  to  their  own 
people.  Most  hopeful  of  all  were  the  daily  schools,  where 
both  boys  and  girls  were  learning  order,  attention  and  dili- 
o-ence,  with  the  rudiments  of  education. 

Discouragements  there  were  in  full  measure.  At  Ba- 
tanga,  a  serious  disaffection  in  the  church  had  reached  such 
a  pitch  that  it  seemed  wise  to  close  the  schools  temporarily 
and  withdraw  the  mission  force  for  a  time.  Buit  this  misfor- 


tune  was  more  tlian  offset  by  the  wonderful  progress  of  the 
new  inland  stations,  where  literally  thousands  of  people  gath¬ 
ered  in  and  around  the  great  churches.  The  Secretary  and 
his  party  visited  Efnlen,  where  the  hill,  crowned  with  the 
Mission  buildings,  is  a  monument  to  the  foresight  and  devo¬ 
tion  of  Adolphus  Good;  thence  to  Elat,  with  its  splendid 
estate,  its  church  crowded  with  generous  givers,  and  its  six 
hundred  boys  in  training  for  useful  work;  to  Lolodorf,  with 
its  great  bark  “palaver  house;”  and  then  back  to  the  coast. 


AFRICAN  SCHOOL  GIRLS 


to  take  the  steamer  for  home,  and  bid  the  church  and  its 
representatives  arise  and  go  for\vard  with  thankful  hearts  to 
meet  the  great  opportunities  and  responsibilities  of  West 
Africa. 


AFTER  THE  TEST. 

Ten  years  later  the  correctness  of  the  Secretary’s  im¬ 
pression  was  made  manifest.  Not  one  of  the  stations  existing 

8 


at  the  time  of  the  visit  had  failed  to  stand  the  test;  but.  while 
the  record  showed  one  thousand  per  cent,  increase  in  the 
number  of  persons  listening  directly  to  the  Gospel,  there  was 
only  sixty-five  per  cent,  increase  in  the  missionary  force. 
What  devotion,  energy,  prayer  and  hope  were  put  into  those 
years  remain  unwritten  in  human  languag'e.  One  can  read 
only  the  cold  facts,  but  imagination  must  picture  the  human 
souls  speaking  through  eyes  that  smile  with  a  new  hope. 

The  Mission  was  no  longer  on  trial.  It  had  justified  its 
right  to  existence.  In  the  process  it  had  made  several  dis¬ 
coveries:  that  the  missionary  was  most  effective  as  a  super¬ 
visor  of  the  native  worker  and  convert;  that  the  itinerating 
method  of  St.  Paul  was  most  practical;  that  Christian  educa¬ 
tion  was  for  the  purpose  of  evangelization,  and  the  evangel¬ 
istic  zeal  of  the  pupil  could  be  used  for  scattering  the  seed; 
also  that  the  introduction  of  industrial  work  greatly  aided  the 
development  of  Christian  ideals.  The  crowning  glory  of  the 
West  Africa  Mission  was  the  well-rounded,  well-developed 
character  of  the  native  Christian  Church.  It  was  self- 

supporting,  evangelistic, 
pure!  Thus  equipped,  it 
went  forth  to  meet  the 
real  test  of  its  strength 
and  sincerity.  The  full 
story  of  how  it  made  its 
way  through  the  blasting 
horrors  of  w’ar  can  only 
be  told  when  the  w'orld  is 
at  peace  once  more. 

The  West  Africa  Mis¬ 
sion  is  a  unit,  but  the 
conditions,  work  and  ex¬ 
periences  of  each  station 
have  been  so  varied  that 
only  by  studying  the  sta¬ 
tions  separately  can  we 
know  the  story  of  the 
Mission  from  the  com¬ 
pletion  of  its  probation 
years  to  the  present  time. 


9 


THEN — THE  WAR. 


Benito  had  a  flourishing  church  and  ont-stations,  all 
Benito,  under  native  pastors,  who  stimulated  weekly  pledges 
and  offerings  from  each  member.  Also,  it  had  board¬ 
ing  schools,  with  industrial  work,  such  as  gardening  for  boys 
and  sewing  for  girls.  The  Fang  boys  were  industrious  in 
school,  and  earnest  in  evangelistic  work  in  the  neighboring 
villages. 

Then,  into  this  neutral  Spanish  territory  came  indirectly 
the  disturbing  conditions  of  war.  The  Germans,  fleeing  from 
the  Kamerun  before  the  French,  brought  with  them  over 
forty  thousand  natives  as  carriers  or  soldiers.  These  neither 
German  officers  nor  Spanish  officials  could  restrain  from 
devastating  the  gardens  for  miles.  As  a  consequence,  the 
natives  of  Benito  faced  starvation. 

Activities  were  lessened  and  schools  reduced,  although 
the  entire  missionary  force  from  Batanga  was  added.  Local 
itinerating  and  the  forwarding  of  provisions  became  the  occu¬ 
pation  of  the  missionaries.  Benito  was  necessarily  made  the 
distributing  point  for  the  Cameroun,*  and  from  the  beginning 
of  the  war  it  has  taken  time,  patience  and  Christian  fortitude 
to  accomplish  this  task.  For  instance,  at  one  time  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty-six  cases  of  goods  were  landed  in  surf  boats 
and  had  to  be  examined  and  dried  before  being  sent  inland 
by  carrier.  It  was  also  necessary  to  make  provision  for  mis¬ 
sionaries  waiting  to  enter  the  Cameroun. 

In  spite  of  all  difficulties,  there  were  never  so  many  tribes 
represented  at  the  meetings.  Seven  self-supporting  churches 
with  native  pastors  are  now  at  work.  Regular  services  are 
held  at  the  station,  and  various  services  during  the  week;  and 
the  theological  candidates  are  active  in  other  centres.  The 
boarding  schools  were  compelled  to  close,  because  of  lack  of 
food  for  the  scholars,  but  a  class  of  six  theological  candidates 
was  carried  on  regularly.  The  medical  work  has  been  large, 
but  principally  among  white  patients.  This  has  aided  friendly 
relations  by  winning  courtesies  from  the  officials,  through 
gratitude  for  medical  attention. 


^French,  “Cameroun German,  “Kamerun.” 


10 


At  Itatanga,  once  so  discontented,  a  missionary  was 
Batanga.  l)nsy  superintending  evangelists  and  clnirches  with 
native  pastors.  l)oys’  school  was  kee]n'ng  iij)  to 
the  standard  of  the  government  examinations,  and  a  girls’ 
school  was  adding  sewing  and  h(msekeei''ing  classes  to  regular 
lessons.  There  was  a  docttny  also  a  hus'ness  manager  for  the 
caravan  work.  This  station  was  the  door  through  which  went 
food,  supnlies  and  machinery  to  the  interior  stations.  Over 
four  hundred  caravans  of  from  three  to  fifty  men,  and  a  boat 
every  week  to  Uenito,  are  reported  in  one  year.  Foiwvarding 
is  an  important  task,  as  upon  the  caravans  that  travel  from 
beach  to  jungle  depend  the  life  and  development  of  the  inland 
stations. 

But,  in  1914,  a  French  warship,  firing  shells  as  it  steamed 
up  the  river,  gave  pause  to  these  activities.  The  neutral  flag 
saved  the  mission,  but  the  missionaries,  being  betw-een  French 
and  German  lines,  were  compelled  to  leave  for  Benito.  The 
natives  were  scattered,  some  to  refugee  or  concentration 
camps,  some  to  the  interior  as  political  prisoners,  and  others 
to  serve  as  carriers  or  soldiers.  Many  escaped  to  the  Bush, 
and  lived  and  died  like  hunted  animals. 

Over  a  year  later  the  commander  of  the  Allied  forces 
authorized  the  reoccupation  of  Batanga  station.  The  mis¬ 
sionaries  found  their  homes  stripped  and  badly  damaged,  and 
their  grounds  overgrown.  The  natives  returned  to  looted 
villages,  ruined  houses  and  vanished  gardens — in  short,  to 
destitution.  Weakened  wdth  suffering,  hunger  and  disease, 
they  were  in  urgent  need  of  medical  assistance,  but  nearly  all 
the  medicines  had  been  commandeered.  Supplies  were  gath¬ 
ered,  however,  from  various  sources,  and  large  numbers  of 
the  thousands  wdio  passed  through  the  station  grounds  were 
helped,  though  many  died  of  starvation  and  dysentery. 

The  missionaries  returned  to  heavy  tasks,  wdth  financial 
worries  added  to  the  burden.  A  large  number  of  guests, 
white  refugees  from  Bata,  had  to  be  cared  for,  wdiile  the  work 
of  cleaning  up  and  repairing  was  still  in  process.  In  addi¬ 
tion,  the  relief  w'ork  for  the  natives  was  put  on  a  systematic 
basis,  for  food  shortage  in  all  the  district  was  the  great 
problem.  Slowly  conditions  improved,  with  a  prospect  of 
self-help. 


During  all  the  fighting,  at  all  the  plantations  and  refugee 
camps,  services  were  held  by  the  native  ministers  and  elders, 
and  the  spiritual  life  of  the  people  was  better  than  might  have 
been  expected.  The  work  of  the  past  created  a  sentiment 
favorable  to  law  and  order,  and,  in  spite  of  two  years  without 
the  white  man’s  direction,  the  people  are  adjusting  themselves 
favorably  to  the  changes  of  government. 

The  caravan  work  is  now  kept  up.  Three  churches  and 
fifteen  chapels  are  active,  but  there  is  no  income  since  the 


IN  THE  CAMEROUN 


return  of  the  impoverished  people,  and  so  the  Mission  has 
assumed  temporarily  the  support  of  the  pastors  and  nineteen 
evangelists.  The  entire  station  has  devoted  itself  to  evan¬ 
gelistic  work,  and  the  field  has  been  virtually  covered  monthly 
by  itinerating  trips.  The  village  schools  started  in  the  ver¬ 
nacular,  and  the  French  school  under  Miss  Marie  Cocker, 
opened  in  October,  1916,  with  nineteen  boys.  Now  there  are 
over  two  hundred,  many  of  them  formerly  teachers.  The 


12 


French  Commissioner  of  Education  wrote  a  letter  of  thanks 
to  Miss  Cocker  for  the  assistance  of  the  missionaries  in  pro¬ 
moting  the  knowledge  of  French.  To  fill  the  need  of  an 
interpreter  for  the  Mission  with  the  French  Government  in 
Cameroun,  i\Iiss  Jean  Mackenzie  was  asked  to  return  from 
America.  After  three  months  on  the  way,  she  finally  arrived 
at  Batanga,  and  is  now  hard  at  work.  She  says:  ‘Tt  does 
seem  as  if  old  Batanga  were  feeling  new  life.”  As  an  exam¬ 
ple  of  this,  one  thousand  people  of  the  beach  tribes  gathered 
to  give  thanks  that  their  lives  were  rescued  by  the  English 
from  starvation,  that  they  were  returned  to  their  homes  by 
the  Allies,  and  that  food  began  again  to  grow  in  their  gardens. 

The  missionaries,  too,  are  thankful  to  be  again  at  their 
work.  They  feel  it  must  be  re-established  in  every  depart¬ 
ment.  The  amount  and  character  of  the  effort  now  exerted 
will  affect  the  whole  future  of  the  cause  in  West  Africa. 


In  spite  of  the  “distinctly  spiritual  atmosphere”  of 
Efulen.  Ffulen,  1913  marks  “an  awakening.”  The  church 
was  left  without  walls  in  order  that  the  large  crowd 
outside  might  hear  and  see.  At  communion  times  over  two 
thousand  sit  down  inside  and  out.  some  from  eighty  miles 
away.  There  was  a  membership  of  several  hundred  who  had 
accomplished  the  year  of  testing  and  instruction.  Free-will 
gifts  and  free  work  on  the  chapel  were  on  the  increase.  Some 
Ffulen  boys  had  taken  theological  courses,  and  were  at 
preaching  stations,  and  many  graduates  Avere  acting  as  evan¬ 
gelists. 

The  first  year  of  the  war  is  “another  year  of  great 
things.”  Men  in  large  numbers,  including  headmen,  joined 
the  Kingdom.  The  increase  in  numbers  was  equalled  by  the 
increase  in  spiritual  strength.  Fives  showed  it  more  than 
figures.  A  great  interest  in  systematic  effort  to  win  indi¬ 
viduals  was  displayed,  and  men  pledged  days  for  personal 
work.  Efulen  church  became  so  large  that  it  decided  to 
organize  two  new  churches,  and  dismiss  to  them  half  its 
members. 

Bible  readers  and  itinerating  students  did  not  cease  their 
efforts  even  when,  in  September,  1915,  the  government  de- 

13 


dared  the  station  was  in  the  war  zone  and  seized  it  for  a 
military  post.  All  missionaries  were  hastily  withdrawn,  and 
all  Christian  work  left  in  the  hands  of  the  natives.  The  vil¬ 
lages  were  not  disturbed,  and  native  evangelists  and  teachers 
remained  and  continued  the  work.  The  Christians  built  a 
temporary  house  of  God  three  miles  away,  and  held  their 
meetings  without  interruption,  keeping  collection  Sundays, 
and  hiding  the  collections  in  the  forest.  During  this  time 
there  was  no  communion  service  held,  and  some  Christians 
fell,  but  many  were  faithful.  Although  there  was  no  fighting 
in  the  immediate  vicinity,  there  were  suffering  and  death,  and 
the  proximity  to  the  coast  offered  peculiar  temptations.  The 
native  churches  met  the  responsibility  with  courage  and 
wisdom. 

When  the  missionaries  returned  in  February,  1916,  their 
hearts  were  full  of  joy  to  find  how  many  had  held  fast  their 
faith,  not  neglecting  the  house  of  God,  nor  withholding  their 
contributions  because  of  the  war.  Twenty-four  evangelists 
did  heroic  work  for  the  Master  during  the  troubled  days. 
Some  went  with  the  people  into  the  forest,  enduring  hardships 
in  order  to  preach;  and  some,  while  serving  as  soldiers, 
worked  continuously  for  the  Kingdom.  After  the  Germans 
fled  from  the  station,  the  English  encamped  there  for  several 
days.  On  their  departure,  Moondo  and  Engoto,  two  natives, 
courageously  took  possession,  preventing  further  looting. 

Now  Efulen  has  three  churches  and  supports  its  own 
evangelists  and  teachers.  The  churches  of  this  station  have  the 
reputation  of  “asking  many  questions,”  and  the  system  has 
given  them  a  strong  hold  on  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  has 
created  a  better  knowledge  of  the  Bible.  Attendance  at  preach¬ 
ing  steadily  increases.  More  are  received  into  the  Church  and 
fewer  fall  away  than  usual,  and  sixteen  young  men  are  pre¬ 
paring  for  the  ministry.  This  period  .of  strife  and  trouble 
has  been  rich  in  blessings  to  the  Efulen  church. 

Although  all  school  work  was  interrupted  by  the  war, 
over  three  hundred  boys  have  returned.  They  come  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  only  the  vernacular  can  be  used  and  that  sup¬ 
plies  and  books  are  gone.  Eroni  this  school  went  twenty-six 
teachers  to  the  Teachers’  Vacation  School  at  Elat,  and  four 
teachers  to  the  Erench  school  at  Batanga.  Never  before 

14 


have  so  many  “real  men”  desired  to  read  the  Bible,  nor  so 
many  women  and  girls  attended  school. 

1914  was  a  marked  year  for  Efnlen,  because  of  the  new 
Schauffler  Dispensary,  with  three  rooms.  Here  Gospel 
teaching  accompanied  medical  treatment,  and  many  souls 
were  born  anew.  The  Schauffler  Hospital,  occupied  in  1913, 
was  always  over-crowded. 

Then  came  the  “requisition,"  and  afterward  the  medical 
supplies  were  still  further  depleted,  for  the  Germans  left  a 
dog  shut  up  in  the  dispensary,  which,  in  its  attempts  to  escape, 
destroyed  much  medicine  and  chewed  up  many  medical  books. 
It  was  a  severe  hardship,  with  suffering  all  about,  to  be  unable 
to  help  because  of  the  lack  of  medicines.  One  wrote  that 
“the  sick  people  were  spread  all  over  the  hill.”  The  women 
from  Elat  were  occupying  the  girls’  dormitory,  and  not  only 
the  new  hospital,  but  the  old  dilapidated  one,  was  full.  The 
recent  arrival  of  a  case  of  new  instruments,  an  operating  room 
equipment,  and  especially  a  sterilizing  table,  caused  much 
rejoicing  to  Efnlen  hospital,  where  the  purpose,  “Healing  of 
body  the  better  to  serve  its  Maker,”  is  never  forgotten. 

“A  more  hopeful  outlook  it  would  be  hard  to  find 
Lolodorf.  than  that  presented  in  the  entire  field  of  Lolodorf.” 

These  words  were  spoken  thirteen  years  ago,  but 
they  apply  aptly  to  the  steady  progress  of  McLean  Memorial 
Station.  There  were  before  the  war  three  organized  churches 
with  Bible  readers,  twenty-three  native  evangelists,  and  an 
out-station  at  Olama,  all  self-supporting.  A  communion 
service  with  two  thousand  two  hundred  present  was  remem¬ 
bered  for  months  afterwards  as  the  “big  meeting.” 

The  solidness  of  the  advance  became  apparent  when  the 
war  cloud  overshadowed  Lolodorf  for  eleven  months  in  1916. 
Gnder  it  the  evangelistic  work  not  only  held  its  own,  but 
progressed.  Four  communion  services  were  held  during  the 
year,  with  an  average  attendance  of  over  one  thousand  four 
hundred.  The  self-sacrifice  of  the  people  in  giving  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  work  in  a  time  of  great  scarcity  is  a  source 
of  gratitude. 

Before  the  war,  the  consecration  of  the  school  boys  was 
apparent.  The  twenty  pupils  of  the  graduating  class  were 

IS 


all  to  teach  for  one  year.  The  efficiency  of  the  training  they 
had  received  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  two  hundred  and 
eighty-four  pupils  passed  the  government  examination.  The 
school  buildings  were  erected  by  the  boys,  and  made  of  brick 
from  the  clay  dug  and  baked  on  the  place.  Roofing  with  tiles 
and  the  use  of  a  farina  mill  were  introduced.  The  care  of 
the  gardens,  tailoring  and  rope-making  taught  the  boys  better 
methods  and  the  dignity  of  work. 

The  educational  policy  of  McLean  Memorial  is: 
“We  aim  to  put  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  the  people,  to  train 
workers  for  every  branch  of  our  work,  and  to  fit  the  people 
for  the  life  they  live  and  will  live.  We  believe  there  ought 
to  be  much  more  stress  put  upon  the  dignity  of  labor,  and 
especially  more  stress  upon  the  training  of  boys  for  efficient 
labor.”  This  business  efficiency  and  common-sense  were 
keenly  appreciated  by  the  five  hundred  guests  who  were  re¬ 
ceived  at  Lolodorf  on  arrangement  with  the  government. 
They  were  fed  from  gardens  carefully  planted  during  the  war 
in  anticipation  of  the  need  to  come. 

The  schools  all  over  the  station  were  disturbed  by  the 
abnormal  conditions.  The  boys  tried  to  be  brave,  and  a 
graduating  class  of  thirty  remained  in  the  boarding  school. 
Fourteen  of  these  were  given  places  as  teachers  in  the  village 
schools.  At  Lolodorf  it  is  felt  that  it  pays  to  give  time  to 
the  education  of  girls  also,  since  it  is  hard  to  carry  on  work 
for  women  extensively.  In  1915  there  were  eighty-nine 
pupils  who  continued  throughout  the  year.  In  1916,  the 
girls’  school  lasted  only  one  month  because  of  the  mothers’ 
anxiety,  but  it  is  now  reopening.  In  1917,  an  eight  weeks’ 
school  for  Bible  readers  was  held  with  two  hundred  and  forty 
young  women.  Prospective  teachers  were  sent  to  Elat  to 
the  Teachers’  Institute,  and  later  sent  out  to  reopen  village 
schools. 

From  seven  hundred  miles  to  east  and  west  came  patients 
for  the  hospital.  Yet  for  a  time  there  has  been  no  doctor, 
only  a  faithful  native  boy,  Moondo,  looking  after  the  work. 
Many  patients  must  be  turned  away,  and  no  important  opera¬ 
tions  can  be  performed.  Only  cases  of  serious  illness  are 
cared  for  in  the  hospital,  but  several  patients  have  openly 
confessed  Christ. 

16 


Even  in  1904  the  sixteen  Christians  of  the  Elat  church 
Elat,  were  referred  to  as  of  a  high  grade.  In  1913  there 
were  seven  hundred  and  twelve  worshipping  in  a 
church  built  by  the  natives  to  accommodate  four  thousand, 
The  collections  amounted  to  one  thousand  dollars,  and  itin¬ 
erating  work  was  systematic. 

In  1914,  outposts  were  established  at  Eulasi  and 
Endenge.  Eulasi.  being  a  road  centre,  developed  so  fast  that 
it  was  necessary  to  keep  a  missionary  there  continually. 

A  record-breaking  year  for  Elat  under  Mr.  Dager  is  the 
report  for  1915.*  In  brief,  a  membership  of  2,297,  a  com¬ 
munion  service  with  7,700  in  attendance,  and  an  average  of 
600  a  month  definitely  confessing  Christ  and  successfully 
passing  the  year’s  probation.  This  probation  is  no  idle  form 
in  Africa,  but  a  real  straightening  out  of  the  life  to  match 
the  profession.  Elat  church  had  15,000  contributors  under 
the  envelope  plan,  so  that  the  church  was  not  only  self- 
supporting,  but  it  met  all  evangelistic  and  other  expenses. 
Eulasi  church  was  organized  with  over  three  hundred  mem¬ 
bers,  and  with  active  itinerating  under  its  charge.  Eifty-five 
evangelists  were  stationed  regularly,  and  fifty-two  students 
were  devoting  their  vacations  to  this  service. 

Suddenly,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  the  knell  of  this  great 
flourishing  station  seemed  to  be  rung,  d'he  German  govern¬ 
ment  commandeered  the  buildings  of  the  Industrial  School 
for  a  munition  factory.  The  missionaries  all  left  for  Meteh 
except  two,  who  stayed  in  a  nearby  town  to  care  for  the  in¬ 
terests  of  the  Mission. 

Elat  was  taken  by  the  Erench  in  January,  1916.  Mr. 
Eraser  and  Mr.  Dager  then  returned  to  the  station,  to  find 
it  littered  with  rubbish  and  small  shelters  erected  by  the 
refugees,  of  whom  three  thousand  were  still  on  the  place. 
The  other  missionaries  followed,  and  all  set  to  work  to  clean 
up  and  festore  ruined  gardens  and  damaged  buildings. 

Through  all,  the  church  stood  as  a  lighthouse.  Evangel¬ 
ists  were  able  to  remain  at  their  posts,  and  church  work  con¬ 
tinued  to  grow,  though  in  restricted  territory.  The  Elat 
church  added  over  a  thousand  members,  and  its  offerings  in 
this  year  of  hardships  were  larger  than  in  any  previous  one. 

*See  “How  It  Has  Grown,”  price  3  cents. 

17 


The  one  hundred  Bible  readers  scattered  over  the  country 
had  a  splendid  effect  during  the  interval  between  govern¬ 
ments.  The  thought,  “God  has  gone,”  was  disabused  by  the 
fact  of  the  evangelists  at  their  posts.  Sixty  thousand  refugees 
went  through  Elat  in  one  month;  and  one  missionary,  un¬ 
armed,  held  three  thousand  mutineers  out  of  the  mission. 

In  the  last  six  months,  communion  services  have  been 
successfully  held  covering  the  entire  field  of  Elat  church.  It 
has  now  four  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-four  mem¬ 
bers — twenty-five  per  cent,  increase  in  a  year.  Offerings 
have  been  taken  equal  to  the  previous  six  months,  which, 
considering  the  scarcity  of- money  and  the  high  value  of  salt 
and  cloth,  is  amazing.  Over  one  hundred  evangelists  are  out 
in  the  field  under  the  control  of  six  theological  students,  yet 
still  there  are  repeated  appeals  from  people  south  of  the 
Campo,  literally  saying:  “Come  over  and  help  us.”  Men  are 
willing  to  go  and  the  support  is  guaranteed,  but  the  mission¬ 
ary  force  is  too  small  to  spare  a  man  to  superintend  it. 
Many  calls  come,  “Tell  us  of  the  Word  of  God;”  and  it  is  a 
wonderful  opportunity,  carrying  with  it  great  responsibilities. 

Beside  the  record  of  the  church,  stands  that  of  the 
schools,  its  feeders.  The  boys’  boarding  school  in  both  Bulu 
and  German  branches  was  flourishing,  and  the  girls’  school 
had  increased  in  punctuality,  regularity  and  co-operation  with 
the  mothers.  The  girls  were  being  taught  gardening,  sewing 
and  the  making  of  oil  and  bamboo  hats.  All  students  worked 
and  paid  about  half  their  expenses.  There  were  also  about 
ninety  village  schools  and  one  leper  school. 

The  famous  Frank  James  Industrial  School,  before  the 
war,  had  a  large  enrolment.  The  tailor  class  had  completed 
two  thousand  garments,  the  carpenter  class  had  put  up  five 
dormitories  in  the  station,  thereby  losing  the  profit  from  a 
large  outside  order.  The  chair  class  had  fallen  off,  but  the 
shoe  shop  had  made  itself  popular  with  Europeans.  Two 
hundred  shoes  had  been  repaired,  and  the  class  itself  was  self- 
supporting.  The  press  had  printed  much  for  the  mission, 
and  two  pieces  of  work  for  the  government;  the  saw  mill  was 
going  all  the  time;  the  finances  of  the  school  were  satisfactory. 
The  attendance  at  the  apprentices’  school  in  the  evening  was 
most  gratifying,  and  had  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  school 
for  wives  of  apprentices,  which  met  a  real  need. 

i8 


In  Fulasi,  four  hundred  and  seventy-three  pupils  were 
accommodated,  out  of  one  thousand  three  hundred  applicants! 
The  boys  built  dormitories  and  other  buildings,  and  set  out 
trees. 

The  war  decreased  the  attendance  in  all  the  schools,  but 
the  usual  work  was  kept  up,  except  that  the  girls  had  only 
one  term.  The  Industrial  School  suffered  most  by  the  sud¬ 
den  lack  of  trade  and  materials,  but  considerable  work  uas 
accomplished:  the  carpenter  class  making  a  thousand  dollars' 
worth  of  furniture  for  the  government,  in  addition  to  the 


A  TAILOR  CLASS  IX  THE  FRANK  JAMES  SCHOOL 


buildings,  as  well  as  adding  the  study  of  arithmetic  and  archi¬ 
tectural  drawing  to  their  day’s  work.  At  Fulasi,  the  board¬ 
ing  school  for  boys  and  the  school  for  girls  continued 
tIouri.Shing,  and  village  schools  were  increasing.  The  general 
upkeep  of  the  station  was  entirely  by  school  boys. 

After  the  French  occupation,  no  German  nor  English 
was  allowed  to  be  taught,  so  the  pupils  at  Elat  school  were 
taught  in  the  vernacular  by  a  native  teacher.  As  this  was 
no  better  than  the  village  schools,  the  attendance  fell  off. 

19 


In  November,  1916,  the  government  organized  a  school  for 
the  study  of  French  at  a  government  station.  Since  then 
the  boys  leave  to  take  np  the  study  of  “another  language.” 
Is  there  need  for  French-speaking  missionaries! 

The  girls'  school  does  well.  The  number  of  little  girls 
is  encouraging,  as  it  shows  the  effect  of  the  law  forbidding 
child  marriages.  The  girls  spend  their  mornings  in  the 
school  room,  and  their  afternoons  in  the  gardens  or  learning 
to  cook.  The  greater  part  of  their  food  comes  from  their 
own  gardens.  The  smaller  girls  clean  the  paths.  The  con¬ 
tinuation  of  the  village  schools  throughout  all  the  time  of 
terror  was  worth  a  great  deal  to  the  villages,  as  it  gave  people 
confidence  at  a  time  when  the  government  control  was  lack¬ 
ing.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  good  the  schools  are  doing 
in  the  lives  of  natives  by  changing  their  ideas  of  life  and  mode 
of  living.  Boys  who  have  been  trained  to  be  lazy  and  look 
on  work  as  degrading  are  being  made  into  active,  useful  men. 

A  Teachers’  Institute  was  conducted  at  Elat  in  July. 
Two  hundred  and  twenty  teachers  enrolled  from  all  of  the 
Cameroun  stations.  Practical  instruction  was  given  in  the 
vernacular. 

The  medical  department  has  not  been  able  to  keep  pace 
with  the  other  work  of  the  station,  for,  in  spite  of  the  great 
need,  there  was  no  doctor  for  three  years  previous  to  the 
war.  Medicine  has  been  dispensed,  and  Mrs.  Neal  and  Mrs. 
Dager  have  done  energetic  work,  but  there  is  great  need  of  a 
physician.  The  dispensary  was  closed  for  a  few  months  by 
the  law  requiring  a  special  permit,  but  has  since  been  re¬ 
opened.  At  the  evacuation  of  Elat,  many  sick  and  injured 
were  turned  over  to  the  Mission  for  aid.  At  Eulasi,  medical 
work  is  much  needed;  the  supply  of  medicine  is  limited,  and 
money  scarce. 

Metet  station  was  occupied  in  1909  by  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Metet.  Johnson.  The  church  was  born  in  1913,  with  ten 
members  and  ten  Sunday  school  classes.  Itinerating 
was  carried  on  and  an  outpost  established. 

In  a  year  the  church  membership  reached  twenty-eight, 
the  majority  of  whom  were  faithful  and  energetic  in  bringing 
others  to  the  services.  Evangelists  and  school  boys  were 
busy  carrying  the  message  to  nearby  towns.  Considering  the 

20 


backwardness  and  shyness  of  these  Bene  people,  the  progress 
of  Metet  has  been  marvelous.  At  first  the  men  were  in  the 
majority,  but  soon  the  women  also  were  confessing.  The 
church  rapidly  became  self-supporting,  and  maintained 
thirty-three  meeting  places  in  the  surrounding  country. 

When  the  war  zone  reached  Metet  in  1916,  it  became 
difficult  to  protect  the  Christians.  Gambling  was  rampant; 
women  and  young  girls  were  exchanged  and  given  in  pawn. 
Old  palavers  were  revived,  the  police  plundered  and  beat  the 
people.  The  hill  became  the  refuge  for  frightened  natives 
during  the  change  of  regime,  and  the  Germans  placed  a  num¬ 
ber  of  their  women  and  children  there  also.  In  spite  of  all, 
the  evangelistic  work  showed  steady  growth. 

On  January  12th,  1916,  the  Allies  entered  Metet,  and 
the  captain  in  command  ordered  that  by  five  o’clock  all  mis¬ 
sionaries  should  leave,  each  taking  three  loads  of  personal 
effects.  Dr.  Johnson  and  Mr.  Beanland  hurried  to  the 
colonel  and  secured  an  agreement  that  the  missionaries  might 
stay  if  they  did  not  communicate  with  the  Germans  nor  assist 
them. 

The  church  has  increased  to  eighty-one  members,  with 
fifty-one  meeting  places.  Services  are  well  attended  consid¬ 
ering  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  the  people,  being  trained, 
contribute  as  usual  in  spite  of  poverty  and  lack  of  employ¬ 
ment.  The  gifts  cover  all  expenses  and  salaries  of  evangelists 
and  helpers. 

When  the  Bible  readers  were  at  the  Teachers’  Institute, 
their  places  were  supplied  by  school  boys.  Several  of  these 
boys  showed  such  zeal  and  earnestness  that  they  have  con¬ 
tinued  in  the  work.  The  number  of  confessors  does  not 
grow  so  rapidly  because  in  these  localities  the  people  know 
nothing  of  the  Gospel  and  only  the  first  seed  is  being  sown. 
There  is  a  vast  unoccupied  territory  to  the  east  and  northeast 
whence  come  repeated  requests  for  teachers. 

One  year  a  school  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  at  the  station, 
twenty-four  village  schools,  and  a  girls’  school,  all  with  indus¬ 
trial  work;  the  next,  seven  hundred  boys  at  the  station  school, 
and  twenty-nine  town  schools.  The  station  school  became 
too  large  to  be  handled,  so  permanent  schools  were  estab¬ 
lished  in  a  circle  all  around  Metet.  Industrial  work  was  in- 


21 


creasing,  cocoa  and  oil  palms  were  cultivated  by  the  boys : 
while  the  girls  were  learning  gardening,  sewing  and  hygiene. 

In  1915,  the  INIission’s  first  Normal  Institute  was  held 
at  INIetet.  The  war  closed  nearly  all  the  schools. 

After  French  \vas  established  as  the  foreign  language, 
the  schools  were  gradually  reopened.  The  opposition  of  the 
Roman  Catholics  tends  to  decrease  enrolment,  but  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  eighty-five  girls  studying  is  a  sight  to  gladden  the 
heart.  They  are  eager  to  lift  themselves  from  dire  ignorance, 
and  are  a  material  aid  in  keeping  the  station  in  order  and 
invaluable  in  garden  work.  The  gardens  and  the  palm  oil 
industry  receive  much  attention,  as  it  has  been  proved  that. 


A  VILLAGE  SCHOOL 


with  these,  the  schools  can  be  self-supporting.  Now  there 
are  very  large  peanut,  corn  and  cassava  gardens  cultivated 
by  school  pupils,  and  the  products  are  sold  in  great  quantities. 

A  dispensary  was  erected  in  1915,  but  not  stocked  with 
supplies,  so  part  was  used  as  a  residence  for  refugees,  and 
the  doctor’s  duties  became  many  and  varied.  Many  Euro¬ 
peans  and  missionaries  of  various  nationalities  found  refuge 
here.  As  there  is  no  physician,  not  many  patients  are  taken 
into  the  hospital,  but  out-patients  are  cared  for  and  medicine 
is  sold. 


22 


A  new  out-station,  almost  one  hnndred  and  fifty  miles 
inland  beyond  Metet,  has  been  established.  It  is  to  have  a 
missionary  in  charge,  African  evangelists  and  Bible  readers. 
The  general  line  of  work  is  similar  to  Metet,  and  the  new 
field  includes  cannibal  Mekae  and  other  wild  tribes. 

Fnlasi,  seventy  miles  east  of  Elat,  was  occupied  in 
Fulasi.  1916  as  a  station.  In  19 17^  the  church  reports  a 
steady  advance  throughout  the  year,  having  now 
one  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-six  members.  Volun¬ 
tary  co-operation  is  building  the  chapels,  and  offerings  are 
increased  so  that  there  is  a  large  balance  to  the  credit  of  the 
church. 

The  schools  are  open  again,  with  over  four  thousand 
pupils.  The  ground  is  cleared,  palm  trees  are  set  out  and  gar¬ 
dens  planted.  Mrs.  Love  has  started  the  first  girls’  boarding 
school  in  a  house  about  ten  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  long. 
Numbers  have  been  turned  away,  but  forty-four  are  accom¬ 
modated.  School  is  run  under  difficulties  without  slates  or 
pencils.  Some  pupils  use  beeswax  on  boards  and  pointed 
sticks,  some  write  in  the  dust  on  the  floor. 

AN  APPRECIATION. 

Of  the  force  of  sixty-one  American  missionaries  con¬ 
nected  with  the  West  Africa  Mission,  there  are  twenty-four 
at  home  on  furlough,  anxiously  awaiting  the  permission  of 
the  French  Government  to  return  to  their  field.  The  fur¬ 
loughs  of  most  of  those  on  the  field  are  overdue,  but  they 
cannot  come  home  until  the  others  return  to  Africa. 

Would  that  we  might  name  every  one  of  these  men 
and  women  who  have  gone  out  to  subordinate  themselves 
and  elevate  the  African  Christian,  so  that  he  shall  more  effec¬ 
tively  lead  his  brothers  into  the  Kingdom.  Of  their  personal 
sufferings  throughout  the  horrors  of  this  war,  we  have  heard 
nothing,  only  of  their  gratitude  and  their  requests  for  prayer. 

The  African  missionaries  have  been  far-seeing  and  broad¬ 
minded  in  the  development  of  a  system  of  responsibility  for 
the  native  that  cultivates  his  self-respect.  They  have  not 
been  afraid  to  use  the  young  school  boys  for  fear  of  slight 
misconceptions  of  doctrine.  They  have  not  been  afraid  of 

23 


losing  converts  by  demanding  work,  contributions  and  a  pure 
life  from  their  pupils  and  their  church  members.  Nor  have 
they  feared  to  risk  their  authority  by  creating  native  pastors 
and  evangelists.  The  wisdom  of  this  system  has  been  shown 
during  the  war,  when  the  savage  convert  became  a  power  in 
the  absence  of  the  civilized  missionary. 

The  West  Africa  Mission  has  developed  in  spite  of  those 
who  lacked  faith  in  it,  and  with  an  utterl}^  inadequate  supply 
of  leaders  from  the  home  Church.  It  has  stood  up  under 
persecution  and  devastating  war,  with  head  higher  than  be¬ 
fore.  It  has  found  the  strong  qualities  of  the  African  and 
his  ability  to  develop  through  practical  education,  insistence 
on  moral  law,  and  the  enthusiasm  of  a  religion  that  satisfies 
his  imagination  and  his  heart. 

If  a  small  force  of  missionaries  has  accomplished  so 
much  in  this  short  time,  what  would  be  the  future  of  the 
Church  of  Africa  if  the  Church  at  home  would  respond  in 
proportion? 

September,  igiy. 


'^4 


